One question most dog parents are asking...are antler chews safe?
Well...the answer is a bit complicated. Generally speaking, antler chews are safe. However, it depends on where you purchase them from - not all antler chews on the market are safe for your dog.
Here are a few things you can look for when choosing an antler chew for your furry friend at home.
What's the color?
One easy way to tell the quality of an antler chew is the color. A high quality antler can be recognized by its brown or light brown color. A lower quality antler can be recognized by it's white, gray, or pink color.
Is it pointy?
What we mean by this is: is there a "tip" or "point" at the end of the antler chew? If so, we highly recommend avoiding an antler chew like this. The tips or points can be very sharp, and it can damage the roof of your dog's mouth.
Is there cracking?
High quality antler chews will have little to no cracking.
Low quality antler chews will have excessive cracking and are more prone to splintering (pieces breaking off).
Is it size appropriate?
Most people don't know this, but usually whole antler racks are bought on a per pound basis - but sold to customers by length. Because of this, a lot of antler chews you will see on the market, especially today, are too skinny or too short or have the "tips/points" on. This is because some companies are trying to make more profit by selling a lighter weighted chew. These chews are often dangerous for your dog and not size appropriate.
Here at Paws & Co, we pride ourselves on having size appropriate chews. If we wouldn't give it to our own dogs, we wouldn't recommend it for yours. Our chews are heavier, thicker and longer than most chews on the market because we want our chews to be safe for all dogs.
Are the edges sharp?
After cutting an antler into chews, the edges are often sharp. You can tell if an antler has been sanded or not sanded by the white ring around the edges.
Not all companies sand the edges because it is time consuming.
But you can be sure that each & every antler chew we send out at Paws & Co has been sanded to remove sharp edges.
When you take a closer look, you can see that not all antler chews are the same. We hope these tips & tricks can help you spot the good ones!
As a dog parent, we know you only want the best antler chew for your dog. Now you can make an educated decision when you are shopping!
To mention too: it is important to always supervise your pet during use of any chew or bone. Antler chews are less likely to splinter than other types of bones; however, it is a natural product. If this does happen, remove immediately from your dog and contact us! Also, make sure to remove the chew from your dog when it is worn down to prevent a choking hazard.